Golf Pace Putting Tip with Francis Howley

Video Transcription

Hi my name is Francis Howley, I’m the director of golf at Carton House.

Today I’m here to give you a tip, to help you improve your long putting. The secret to good long putting is to get pace control. If we can get the Pace of the grains, we’ve a good chance of getting that ball in the hole. The last thing we want to do is knock the put too far past or leave it too far short and end up 3 putting the hole. This is a very simple exercise we can do on the putting green before we go out and play or even if we are out playing a social game. What I’ve set up is a club on the ground and then I’ve set up 3 balls at different distances, roughly 15ft, 25ft and 35ft and what I’m going to try and do is, I’m going to put the ball and I’m going to try and get it to bump into the shaft that’s lying on the ground. If I can do that I know I will have good pace on those greens today. When I’m doing it I’m going to try and go through my normal routine of when I put and how I control my pace is the tempo of my stroke same distance back same distance through, think of that tick tocking sound. So when I’m putting I’m trying to feel that I have the tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. So I’m not trying to rush the stroke at all. Then when I come over the ball I’m going to try and use the same tempo just enough to knock into the shaft. There we can see the first ball just touches into the shaft. I walk back to the second ball, I try and do exactly the same, go through my routine thinking again tick tock. tick tock. Into the ball and again try and get the ball just bumping into the shaft.

And now I move onto the third ball, I’m going to go through the same routine thinking of that tempo tick tock, tick tock then I try and do the same with the ball, and the stroke and there we can see the three balls have all bumped into the shaft.

This is a great exercise to do, as I’ve said it really gives you an idea of whether you have pace on those greens for the day. I hope this tip helps you with your long putting.